Citroen C4 BioFlex (Foto Ufficiali)

[Touareg 2.5]

<H4>A new environmental model

Citroen is launching the C4 BioFlex in September 2007. The C4 BioFlex is a flexfuel vehicle using regular fuel and ethanol. It will be launched first in France and Sweden, and soon after in other European countries. Most of these countries have attractive policies for these new fuel types.

The C4 BioFlex is the Marque's first flexfuel vehicle in Europe. Citroen already sells flexfuel cars in Brazil, where this kind of vehicle accounted for 65% of the brand's sales in 2006, and more than 80% since the start of 2007. With this offering, Citroen is present on a new market in this world region. E85 fuel pumps are beginning to appear in France. Some 500 pumps are expected to be up and running by the end of the year.

Fitted with a 1.6-litre engine generating 82 kW, the C4 BioFlex benefits from all the equipment on offer in the C4 range, with the same trim levels. It contributes to greenhouse gas reduction by cutting CO2 emissions by 5% over a combined cycle and also reduces fossil-fuel dependency by using renewable energy. From field to wheel, emissions are reduced by up to 40%.

Available as a 5-door hatchback, the C4 BioFlex ships at the same price as the petrol 1.6i 16V models, at 18,650 for the Pack version, 20,000 for Ambiance, and 22,150 for the Exclusive model.

C4 BioFlex: an excellent environmental scorecard

Bioethanol is an alcohol produced by fermentation of sugar from plants such as beetroot or starch from cereals such as wheat and corn. The use of bioethanol has several environmental advantages:

• Unlike fossil fuels, the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) produced by cars running on biofuels are to a large extent absorbed by the growth of plants used to produce bioethanol. This process of absorption also concerns the CO2 emitted by other sources. From field to wheel, emissions are reduced by up to 40%.
  
• Because this type of biofuel contains oxygen, it also helps reduce other pollutants, particularly carbon monoxide (CO). E85 fuel is also sulphur-free.
  
• Lastly, unlike fossil fuels, biofuels are renewable energies.

The C4 BioFlex thus initiates a virtuous cycle of reducing and absorbing greenhouse gas emissions.

C4 BioFlex: an impressive economic scorecard

The economic scorecard of biofuel vehicles varies according to country and tax policy. At about 0.80 per litre, current E85 prices in France make the C4 BioFlex particularly competitive. In addition, biofuel use is encouraged by certain tax systems:

• 50% or total exemption depending on the region from the pro-rata tax on car registration fees,
  
• Exemption from the tax on company vehicles for 2 years,
  
• Exceptional amortisation of company cars over a period of 12 months, instead of 5 years,
  
• 80% recovery of VAT on fuel.

E85 is already widely used in Sweden. The country has 650 E85 fuel pumps and more than 13% of vehicles sold in 2006 were Flexfuel models. Numerous fiscal incentives (tax, tolls and parking) favour the use of biofuel. Over a combined cycle, the C4 BioFlex consumes 9.8 l/100 km and emits 160 g of CO2 per km, compared with 7.1 l/100 km and 169 g of CO2 per km for the standard 1.6i 16V model.

Although the C4 BioFlex consumes more fuel, it is considerably cheaper to run. In France, it costs 7.84 euro cents per kilometre, with E85 fuel at 0.80 a litre, compared with the conventional model's 9.23 euro cents per kilometre, with SP95 petrol at 1.30 a litre.

C4 BioFlex: technological advance for real results

The C4 BioFlex powertrain was designed and developed to run on normal unleaded fuel (RON 95 or 98), on bioethanol with up to 85% ethanol content (E85), and on a mix of the two containing between 0 and 85% ethanol.

Developing the C4 BioFlex required work in two key areas. First, all components and parts had to tolerate contact with ethanol. Second, the engine had to function optimally regardless of the proportion of alcohol in the fuel. Imported from Brazil, the engine features several modifications already applied to engines used locally, mainly concerning parts that come into contact with the fuel, such as rings and valve seats. Changes were also made to the fuel circulation system, involving the tank, fuel gauge and pump module, pipes and fuel filter.

Finally, the engine software has been adapted to include new settings that adjust automatically to the alcohol content in the fuel. Each time the tank is filled, an analysis is made of alcohol content in order to select the best operating curve. During the analysis, the engine functions with protection settings compatible with all authorised fuel blends containing between 0 and 85% ethanol content.

Performance has been boosted in E85 mode, with maximum power of 82 kW (or 113 bhp DIN, compared with 80 kW/110 bhp DIN) still at 5,800 rpm for a 2.5% improvement and maximum engine torque of 153 Nm (up from 147 Nm), still at 4,000 rpm, for a 4% improvement. Running on standard unleaded fuel (SP95), the engine performs practically identically to the 1.6i 16V version. The adaptation is completely transparent for the customer, apart from the maintenance plan, with services every 20,000 km for the French market.

</H4>

Esteticamente si riconosce solo per la targhetta..

[Giulio]

Secondo me con questa versione potevano approfittarne per lanciare un restyling, necessario per questo modello di poco successo. Eppure la 5 porte è tra le migliori come design nel suo segmento.

Secondo me all'interno ha bisogno di finiture migliori e soprattutto devono cambiare i sedili!!! Sono comodi, ma il tessuto usato e funebre (in sitle Opel) ed economico da segmento B!!

[Alby]

L'interno è decisamente obsoleto e, come già saggiamente detto, funebre.

Purtroppo non è stata capita, poichè la trovo un'auto interessante, e anche abbastanza bella. Forse ha la colpa di essere un pò troppo futuristica.

[Cosimo]

fregata anche x me dall'interno tristissimo e dall'eredità della zx una delle auto più banali degli ultimi anni

[Giulio]

fregata anche x me dall'interno tristissimo e dall'eredità della zx una delle auto più banali degli ultimi anni

Banale non direi di sicuro, non come lo sono Cee'd, i30 e Auris.

Quello che ha scontato la C4 è già stato detto.

Secondo me potevano apporfittarne del lancio di questa versione per far debuttare anche un restyling per la quale è necessario a questo modello.

Basta infatti vedere l'immagine della plancia per capire che ha sì un interno originale e futurista, ma ha materiali da rivedere, finiture superate (sembrano peggio di quelle su 307 restyling, e decisamente vecchie rispetto alla nuova concorrenza come Bravo e 308).

Come finiture e cambio stilistico, seguirei il filone della C4 Picasso.

[Cosimo]

quella banale x me era la zx non la c4, quest'ultima avrà un interno un po' sottotono ma sicuramente non banale

[Teknos]

ma quando esce il restyling della C4?? è uscita a fine 2004....

[Stefano73]

La C4 ha un interno obsoleto e superato....mah, non mi sembra affatto anche perchè ad esempio il tanto elogiato interno della c4picasso è molto molto simile, ovvio può non piacere per il fatto che sia anticonvenzionale.

Mi spiace che la C4 non abbia avuto successo non solo in italia ma anche in francia dove ancor oggi vende meno della ormai vecchia megane, ovvio ha dovuto scontare la mancanza grave della SW e in spagna nel mercato in cui una berlinetta quasi 3 volumi come la vecchia anonima xsara vendeva alla grande la mancanza della 3 volumi.

[Cosimo]

l'interno della c4 non è superato, è semplicemente triste nei colori e negli abbinamenti. Quello della picasso che non è poi così diverso sembra è molto più accogliente.